Your thoughts and experience: Oly 75mm or Pana 35-100?

Navegador wrote:

Hi everyone. I'm ready to purchase a new tele lens for my m4/3 set-up (GX1 and E-PM2, Pana 7-14, Pana 20, Pana 12-35, Oly 45). Thing is, I'm really torn between the Olympus 75mm f/1.8 prime and Panasonic's 35-100 f/2.8 zoom.

My question relates to the real-life situations in which you have been using those lenses, and not to any sharpness/depth-of-field/image-stabilization issues - as you've noticed I have both Pana and Olympus bodies, I'm well aware of what kind of depth of field I get with m4/3, and for my usage most of the system's lenses at this level are plenty sharp and well-corrected for aberrations. Plus I've got Photoshop.

I was thinking hard about getting the zoom, but then I researched a bit and realized that for about $400 less, if you figure the OEM lens hood in, the Olympus 75 does look like an appealing lens that would complement my set-up so that I could get roughly the same photography I'd get with the 35-100 zoom. *Roughly*. I already have 70mm equivalent covered with the 12-35, 90mm with the 45 and would get a longer focal length (150 equiv.) with the added benefit of a lager aperture. On the flip side, I'd be switching lenses a lot more and losing everything between 70-90, then 90-150, and from 150-200mm (equivalent). I don't care about the whole primes vs. zooms quality debate, I tend to buy zooms because they're practical but this time I'm seriously in doubt.

I'm a journalist (not a photojournalist, I'm in PR these days), I like my equipment to be light and practical for travel (which I do a lot), I do events but not much, and I do portraits, so there's a need for tele.

What do you guys reckon I should buy? Price, while a factor, isn't the main thing. Some real-world usage comparisons would be nice.

Please help me decide - or at least rationalize my eventual purchase!

Cheers!

It is an intriguing question and comparison asking about the 75mm and the 35-100. Something that I believe has never been asked before.